Sojourner Truth is shown a Bible that was given to President Abraham Lincoln as a gift from people of color in Baltimore. (Getty)

Exactly 130 years ago today, a great advocate for human equality in the United States died of old age. This courageous woman, Sojourner Truth, went beyond the quiet uprisings and discreet rebellions orchestrated by fellow abolitionists at the time. She boldly made her views and voice known by all, even President Abraham Lincoln. On October 29, 1864, Truth went to visit Lincoln in the White House, pictured above. Unable to read or write, Truth's friend Lucy Colman transcribed her experience with Honest Abe and depicted their meeting as two freedom fighters showing mutual respect and admiration, surpassing social class and gender lines.

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks for watching!

After praising Lincoln as the best man to take the Oval Office, Truth admitted to him that before his rise to power, she had never heard of him. With a smile on his face, Lincoln responded he had known of her work well before they met. He moved the famed abolitionist when he showed her the Bible that had been given to him by people of color in Baltimore, a true sign of the progress that was being made in the nation. (Literacy had previously been prohibited to people of color.) Although Truth was illiterate, the significance of this leap towards equality was universally understood.

MORE STORIES FROM BIO

On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered a two-minute speech as part of a cemetery dedication to the lives lost in the Civil War. The Gettysburg Address is regarded as one of the most eloquent speeches in American history.

On April 14, 1865, assassin John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln, who died the following day. James M. Cornelius, Ph.D., curator at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, retells the events of that tragic day and its historic aftermath.

The producers at BIO.com review hundreds of photos of famous figures each week, from award-winning actors and popular singers, to headliners and scandal makers. While we're digging through these archives, we often come across amazing photos that we're...

Biography.com's "Week in Review" highlights interesting people who've made the news this past week—thanks to their endeavors, big ideas, triumphs, importance in history, or magnanimous gaffes. While there were many people to choose from this...

Although his birthday has already passed, today is the day that we, as a nation, reflect on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and all that he stood for. Prior to his untimely death in 1968, Dr. King’s leadership during the Civil Rights Movement...